UK PR person sought for H&M. Any way back?

[glitteryframing]

Headline on the Daily Fail tonight claims that Harry and Meghan are seeking a UK PR person to solve their 'popularity problem'.

I work in corporate PR these days but did a few years in celeb PR. If the story is true, I can't see a way for their UK public image to be fixed. Obviously lots do like them and feel they've been badly treated but even if they could win over the majority public, the media isn't likely to give up (especially papers that have been sued).

Just curious really if anyone could imagine a scenario where they'd be liked again by the majority in the UK? What would they have to do? Go into the celeb jungle? Apologise to the nation? No idea really! All I do know is that if anyone takes that job, they've got a tough task.

I think what Harry has done is similar to the Abdication (one could argue worse because of the book and TV interviews). And so although we might be prepared to forgive him his family never will.

Nothing can redeem them but Harry might receive a warmer welcome if they split up and Harry admits he was taken in by her and is sorry for the untruths and unpleasant things he wrote in his book about his family.

PR can't undo the damage they've done. All they can do is be contrite about their actions and move forwards. If they want the public to forgive, they need to change their behaviour. If they play the victim about something or their own doing they will just anger the British public further. We love an underdog, we do like to forgive but only where a person is genuinely remorseful.

Give over, most people loved her and loved that she made Harry happy

They said Britain had a problem with her colour,I'll reiterate I don't think so as my original post said wedding cost, millions of viewers.

I think Charles will forgive but not Camilla, William or Kate. They probably think they will come back to the same level of popularity they had before they left. I can imagine them being booed quite frankly.

I think they will struggle. They have been proven to lie on multiple things and ones that were easy for the papers to tear apart. The one that springs to mind is their sob story about how their kids were not being given titles despite legislation showing they would get them when their grandad was king and not before. It was a guarantee the newspapers would fact check it.

They also come across as judgy whilst living the Hollywood lifestyle. They lecture on waste and environment whilst flying private jets living in a mansion. Its the regular public they judge from their ivory tower. Prince William promotes environmental issues and lives in mansions but he doesn't come across as lecturing about how many children people have etc. He is just far more tactful and acknowledges his privilege. Harry seems to have become detached from the reality of many peoples lives and struggles and expects everyone to sympathise with him

And yet the utterly delightful Andrew is back in the royal fold too and has had to do precisely nothing to worm his way back in 🤷‍♀️.

Charles lectures on the environment and lives in appallingly wasteful lifestyle - why is this never pointed out???

I think the only way back is if they make up with William and Catherine. Which seems highly unlikely. But if they came back, put their heads down and just did good work it would go a long way.

There is a way - tried and tested.

But I doubt very much they'd go for it.

They have to start thinking in timelines of a couple of decades. THey need to embrace the idea that if moving back to the world of the working royal, they are the onesthat need to fit in, and essentially they have to re-apprentice themselves for as long as it takes. And it was a about 20 years for each of Camilla and Sophie

During that time they did all the Royal duties assigned to them. They rarely spoke in public, and when they did it was to highlight the work of others. Never complain, never explain, and never ever blab family secrets. Take on a couple of charities and do whatever they want of you, whilst you learn thoroughly about their workings - only then start making suggestions (the Anne approach - takes about 10 years, she said). And just be there, as part of the fabric of the family.

Over time, provided they stop airing the family laundry in public, people will forget what all the fuss was ever about.

But if either of them is hoping to spin faster, so that they get the acclaim and high approval rating they had pre-exit and pre-covid more or less straight away, then they might be barking up the wrong tree.

Honestly I think the only way back , and I think there is one because the public are notoriously fickle, is a good decade of keeping their heads down. No books, no TV , no podcasts, no interviews unless rigidly about the cause and not about them . No moaning , no opinions and just living their lives very quietly, preferably doing charity work but without the big flash events , no rocking the boat at all . Turn up to do the duty stuff at Westminster Abbey, trooping the colour etc and pretend to be interested etc

She'll never be my queen, I still loathe her. I'm not a Diana freak, I just hate cheaters.

Is this a plan for them to get PR advice on the cheap?

They would need to apologise
Move to the UK and live quietly
Wait a few decades

It's insane to me that there is more talk about the supposed wrongs of H&M than there is about Andrew. There is far, far more vitriol on here towards Meghan than there is towards him.

Doesn't anyone else believe the claims by Harry that other members of the RF made them scapegoats for bad press, so that they would be left alone themselves?
The phone hacking Harry insisted was happening has been proved, and also there are reports of Camilla and Piers Morgan being very chummy on some occasions.
I do believe though that until Meghan forgives and reaches out to her father, public opinion of her will not improve.
I also don't think they will be forgiven by the press for sneaking to hospital to have Archie and pretending Meghan was in labour when they were back home with the baby.
I do want them to come back into the fold and spend King Charles final years on good terms with him and William and Kate.

There's an Andrew thread on here berating his every move. Apparently he went to a memorial service and smiled. He also rides horses on the Windsor estate. He lives in a giant house with his ex wife. Repeated ad nauseum

Off with their heads! All of them... except Camilla.

Yes god forbid we should be fucking furious that we continue to fund his lavish lifestyle while he hides from justice. How stupid of us. 🙄🤬

I thought you meant the shop and wondered what the heck you were on about 🤣

Of course they can find their way back. It will take time and maybe they need money before that.

1. silence
2. work - very carefully chosen so it’s non publicity seeking. To make it look like they’re getting out of the fame train.
3. Charity - non publicity seeking again but time and investment into charities and gain a quiet reputation. harry into his work with ex service personnel and meghan something like children/sick
4. befriend anyone influential - attend parties, just not the red carpets

3 or 4 years putting in work will make everyone think they’ve moved on. Couple of press releases of Christmas card pictures etc and pictures taken in and out of restaurants etc quietly living life. Everyone will sort of think they’ve matured in time.

harrys problem is that his career was going to be to monetise what they were doing for ‘free’ as Royals - and then turned round and torch the house he walked out of. No one could buy them as Royals any more when they went so vehemently against type.

they need to think more like 2010s david and Victoria beckham

What did they lie about? Things Harry said in his book are proven to be true eg deals with the press to settle their hacking. The royal family needs them more than the other way around. I think it's for the principals not least the queen to get off their arses and do the work.

Agree. Like a naive fool I watched the wedding thinking M was the best thing to ever happen to the royal family and Harry shot up in my estimation for making a love match to someone who didn’t fit the mould. I thought he was a good bloke and it was as close to a fairy tale as I thought I’d ever see.

I do not believe Britain hates her skin colour. There are racists in Britain. But vast numbers of us were delighted to see them wed.

But then it all went wrong. No way back. Ask Gerald Ratner… some things can’t be unsaid.

I had forgotten about the odd lies about labour. I suspect most people have.

My stepmother,who I am now very fond of, says this. She says it without a hint of irony given that she conducted an affair with my father under the nose of both her husband and my mother 😮. People in glass houses and all that . No one is perfect and everyone deserves a secondly chance .